Newport News Public Schools elections (2014)
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Newport News Public Schools Local ballot measures, Virginia |
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Four seats on the Newport News School Board were up for general election on May 6, 2014. Gary B. Hunter won the at-large seat after narrowly defeating Rick E. Jones, Jr. with Curtis Bethany placing third in the race. At-large incumbent Debbie Johnston did not file for re-election. Incumbent Pricillia E. Burnett lost to challenger Douglas C. Brown in her bid for another term in the North seat. Betty Bracey Dixon lost her election bid for the Central district seat against incumbent Jeff Stodghill. Board chair Carlton S. Ashby won re-election to the South district without opposition.
The at-large election took a few unexpected turns only 24 hours after the polls closed. Rick E. Jones, Jr. won the election by 47 votes based on unofficial results on the night of the election. An audit by city officials on May 7, 2014 found that Gary B. Hunter won the election by 40 votes. Jones filed a request for an additional recount in the Newport News Circuit Court on May 16, 2014. State law allows candidates to seek recounts if they have lost by less than one percent of the vote.[1] The Newport News Elections Board affirmed Hunter's victory on June 13, 2014 after a final recount.[2]
About the district
- See also: Newport News Public Schools, Virginia
Newport News Public Schools is located in Newport News, a city in eastern Virginia. According to the United States Census Bureau, Newport News is home to 180,726 residents.[3] Newport News Public Schools was the ninth-largest school district in Virginia, serving 29,948 students during the 2011-2012 school year.[4]
Demographics
Newport News underperformed in comparison to the rest of Virginia in terms of higher education achievement in 2010. The United States Census Bureau found that 23.9 percent of Newport News residents aged 25 years and older had attained a bachelor's degree compared to 34.7 percent for Virginia as a whole. The median household income in Newport News was $50,744 compared to $63,636 for the state of Virginia. The poverty rate in Newport News was 14.5 percent compared to 11.1 percent for the entire state.[3]
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Note: Percentages for race and ethnicity may add up to more than 100 percent because respondents may report more than one race and the Hispanic/Latino ethnicity may be selected in conjunction with any race. Read more about race and ethnicity in the census here.
Voter and candidate information
The Newport News School Board consists of seven members elected to four-year terms. Two members each are elected to North, South and Central seats with the seventh member elected to an at-large seat. There was no primary election and a general election was held on May 6, 2014. Three seats will be on the ballot in 2016.
Candidates filed declarations of candidacy with the Newport News Voter Registrar by March 4, 2014. A candidate must be a citizen of the United States, at least 18 years old, a resident of Virginia for at least one year and a current district resident. State law requires voters to present government-issued identification, student ID cards or a current bill with address at the ballot location.[6]
Elections
2014
Candidates
At-large
- Curtis Bethany
- Student, Old Dominion University
- Gary B. Hunter
- Graduate, Hampton University
- Assistant vice president, Langley Federal Credit Union
- Rick E. Jones, Jr.
- Graduate, College of William & Mary
- Retired math teacher
North
- Douglas C. Brown
- Business manager
- Pricillia E. Burnett
- Incumbent
- Graduate, Methodist College
- Retired police officer
Central
- Betty Bracey Dixon
- Graduate, Meredith College
- Retired educator
- Former member, 2008-2012
- Jeff Stodghill
- Incumbent
- Graduate, Virginia Tech
- Architect, PMA
South
- Carlton S. Ashby
- Incumbent
- Graduate, Hampton University and College of William & Mary
- Retired educator
Election results
| Party | Candidate | Vote % | Votes | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Nonpartisan | Gary B. Hunter |
40.3% | 3,569 | |
| Nonpartisan | Rick E. Jones, Jr. | 39.8% | 3,529 | |
| Nonpartisan | Curtis Bethany | 19.2% | 1,698 | |
| Nonpartisan | Write-in votes | 0.8% | 67 | |
| Total Votes | 8,863 | |||
| Source: Virginia State Board of Elections, "Official Results - General and Special Elections - May 6, 2014," May 6, 2014 | ||||
| Party | Candidate | Vote % | Votes | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Nonpartisan | Douglas C. Brown |
50.8% | 1,132 | |
| Nonpartisan | Pricillia E. Burnett Incumbent | 48.4% | 1,077 | |
| Nonpartisan | Write-in votes | 0.8% | 18 | |
| Total Votes | 2,227 | |||
| Source: Virginia State Board of Elections, "Official Results - General and Special Elections - May 6, 2014," May 6, 2014 | ||||
| Party | Candidate | Vote % | Votes | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Nonpartisan | Jeff Stodghill Incumbent |
50.7% | 1,748 | |
| Nonpartisan | Betty Bracey Dixon | 49.1% | 1,694 | |
| Nonpartisan | Write-in votes | 0.3% | 9 | |
| Total Votes | 3,451 | |||
| Source: Virginia State Board of Elections, "Official Results - General and Special Elections - May 6, 2014," May 6, 2014 | ||||
| Party | Candidate | Vote % | Votes | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Nonpartisan | Carlton S. Ashby Incumbent |
98.8% | 2,925 | |
| Nonpartisan | Write-in votes | 1.2% | 37 | |
| Total Votes | 2,962 | |||
| Source: Virginia State Board of Elections, "Official Results - General and Special Elections - May 6, 2014," May 6, 2014 | ||||
Endorsements
The Daily Press endorsed Gary B. Hunter, Pricillia E. Burnett and Jeff Stodghill for the May 6, 2014 general election.[7]
Campaign finance
Candidates received a total of $19,398.02 and spent a total of $4,788.08 prior to the election, according to the Virginia State Board of Elections.[8]
In the at-large race, candidates reported $6,682.00 in contributions and $1,431.36 in expenditures.
| Candidate | Contributions | Expenditures | Cash on hand |
|---|---|---|---|
| Curtis Bethany | $1,510.00 | $778.86 | $731.14 |
| Gary B. Hunter | $4,847.00 | $652.50 | $4,194.50 |
| Rick E. Jones, Jr. | $325.00 | $0.00 | $325.00 |
In the North seat race, candidates reported $3,663.27 in contributions and $1,406.15 in expenditures.
| Candidate | Contributions | Expenditures | Cash on hand |
|---|---|---|---|
| Douglas C. Brown | $3,380.93 | $1,152.71 | $2,228.22 |
| Pricillia E. Burnett | $282.34 | $253.44 | $28.90 |
In the Central seat race, candidates reported $9,052.75 in contributions and $1,950.57 in expenditures.
| Candidate | Contributions | Expenditures | Cash on hand |
|---|---|---|---|
| Betty Bracey Dixon | $684.31 | $648.47 | $35.84 |
| Jeff Stodghill | $8,368.44 | $1,302.10 | $7,066.34 |
In the South seat race, candidates reported no contributions or expenditures.
| Candidate | Contributions | Expenditures | Cash on hand |
|---|---|---|---|
| Carlton S. Ashby | $0.00 | $0.00 | $0.00 |
Past elections
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What was at stake?
Issues in the election
April 24 candidate forum
The Southern Christian Leadership Conference held a candidate forum at the district's administration building on April 24, 2014. The forum featured tense discussions between moderators Bill Thomas and Pat Woodbury and candidates answering questions about academic performance, student assessments and anti-gang efforts in the district. Board member Jeff Stodghill stated that the district had made progress on improving academic performance over the past four years. Thomas, the director of government relations at Hampton University, criticized Stodghill's optimistic view and cited poor performance by students at local colleges as an example of the district's struggles. Newcomer Curtis Bethany expressed concerns about the difficulty level of the state's Standard of Learning assessments, which led Thomas to state that state assessment examples he reviewed were simple.[9]
Woodbury, a member of the Newport News City Council, questioned candidates about the school board's willingness to support the city's anti-gang violence initiatives. She suggested that district officials discourage teachers from seeking disciplinary action against students to avoid damaging the district's reputation. Board member Betty Bracey Dixon argued that gang activity is more commonplace in district schools than is reported. Fellow incumbent Pricillia E. Burnett advocated for alternative education options for gang members rather than seeking criminal punishment.[9]
Key deadlines
The following dates were key deadlines for the Newport News Public Schools election in 2014:[10][11]
| Deadline | Event |
|---|---|
| March 4, 2014 | Last day to file paperwork for ballot placement |
| April 14, 2014 | Last day to register to vote for the May election |
| April 15, 2014 | First campaign finance reporting deadline before election |
| April 28, 2014 | Last campaign finance reporting deadline before election |
| April 29, 2014 | Last day for Voter Registrar's Office to receive absentee ballot application |
| May 3, 2014 | Last day to vote in-person at the Voter Registrar's Office. |
| May 6, 2014 | Election day |
| June 16, 2014 | Filing deadline for post-election campaign finance reporting |
Additional elections on the ballot
The school board election shared the ballot with races for mayor and three seats on the Newport News City Council.[12]
Recent news
This section links to a Google news search for the term "Newport + News + Public + Schools"
See also
- Virginia
- Newport News Public Schools, Virginia
- Virginia school board elections, 2014
- List of school board elections in 2014
- School board elections, 2014
- Newport News, Virginia
- Local ballot measures, Virginia
- 90 candidates seek 38 seats in first round of May school board elections
- Incumbents falter in early May elections, governing majority shifts in Buffalo
External links
Footnotes
- ↑ Daily Press, "Jones files for recount in Newport News School Board race," May 16, 2014
- ↑ Daily Press, "Hunter declared winner in Newport News School Board recount," June 13, 2014
- ↑ 3.0 3.1 3.2 United States Census Bureau, "Newport News, Virginia," accessed February 11, 2014
- ↑ National Center for Education Statistics, "ELSI Table Generator," accessed May 1, 2014
- ↑ Virginia State Board of Elections, "Election Results," accessed February 11, 2014
- ↑ Virginia State Board of Elections, "May 6 2014 Elections: Candidacy Requirements for City and Town Offices," accessed March 17, 2014
- ↑ Daily Press, "Newport News schools," April 22, 2014
- ↑ Virginia State Board of Elections, "Reporting," accessed April 22, 2014
- ↑ 9.0 9.1 Daily Press, "Sharp exchanges between candidates, moderators mark Newport News School Board debate," April 24, 2014
- ↑ Virginia State Board of Elections, "May 6 2014 Elections: Candidacy Requirements for City and Town Offices," accessed March 17, 2014
- ↑ Virginia State Board of Elections, "Campaign Finance Report for Candidates," January 1, 2014
- ↑ Virginia Public Access Project, "Newport News City," accessed March 17, 2014
| 2014 Newport News Public Schools Elections | |
| Newport News, Virginia | |
| Election date: | May 6, 2014 |
| Candidates: | At-large: • Curtis Bethany • Gary B. Hunter • Rick E. Jones, Jr. North: • Douglas C. Brown • Pricillia E. Burnett |
| Important information: | What was at stake? • Key deadlines • Additional elections on the ballot |
